In recent years, along with micropatterning of semiconductor devices, accurate measurement of a pressure in a sputtering space in which sputtering is performed has become required in a sputtering process. On the other hand, if a pressure gauge is exposed to a sputtering space, the pressure gauge can become contaminated, problematically, due to a sputtered film or the like. Particularly, among pressure gauges, a diaphragm vacuum gauge is sensitive to contamination.
The sputtering apparatus disclosed in PTL 1 tries to reduce the amount of film entering an ion gauge connected to the opening portion by providing a shutter that can act as a shield in the chamber.
However, in the sputtering apparatus of PTL 1, when forming a thin film on a substrate such as a wafer, the thin film may become contaminated due to generation of particles (foreign substances) from the shutter or the like. If particles are present in the thin film, it can cause a critical defect in a product such as a semiconductor chip which includes the thin film and cause a reduction in yield. In recent years, due to advancements in microprocessing, further reduction of particles is required.
Furthermore, to achieve a high yield, stable process reproducibility is necessary. Hence, it is necessary to accurately measure the pressure in the sputtering space even during deposition.